YMMV / The Villains of Valley View

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Declan/Oculan: While he may have been an undercover teen supervillain working for Onyx to imprison the Mayhem family and return them to Centropolis to face Onyx's wrath, various viewers had wondered if he actually enjoyed being a villain, or if he was simply another victim of Onyx's ruthlessness and was Forced into Evil. His friendliness with Hartley and the Maddens was convincing, and it's possible he was Becoming the Mask before Onyx reminded him why he was there, and to stay on task.
  • Is Hartley really the flower of sunshine and goodness she claims to be? While she may serve as a Morality Pet for Amy, and to a lesser extent a Morality Chain for the rest of the Maddens (sans Jake who's already a good person), she's shown time and time again that she's not above stooping to the Maddens' level, can be pretty shady and jerkish herself when the time calls for it, and has very little problem killing her boyfriend (although he would've killed her first if had the chance, given the circumstances).
• Angst? What Angst?: Hartley's surprisingly very quick to get over the fact that her boyfriend Declan was actually an undercover supervillain, and changes her tone towards him nearly completely, to the point where it's nearly out-of-character for her. She also shows no sadness at having to kill the boy she liked, even if he was a villain.
• Anti-Climax Boss: Both Oculan and Onyx. Despite the two of them being built up as serious threats to the Mayhem family — with Onyx in particular, being a leader of all villains and a Bad Boss who's not afraid to try killing anyone who crosses him — neither of them survive to see the end of Season 1, with the former being vaporized by Hartley, and Onyx being overpowered by Flashform and Havoc's combined powers. It's almost laughable, to the point where some fans wonder why people feared these two so much.
• Fanon: Amy being a lesbian is a very popular head canon in the fandom. It helps that Amy isn't shown having any romances or crushes and that her friendship with Hartley is loaded with Les Yay.
• Karmic Overkill: Declan may have been a spy and definitely deserved to be punished, but a number of viewers thought having him be vaporized by Hartley was way too extreme, especially since Onyx was shown to be a ruthless Bad Boss, and likely used threats against Oculan to force him into doing his work. Plus, he's another teen villain who could have easily pulled a Heel–Face Turn and turned on Onyx. It's gotten to the point where fans actually felt bad for Declan.
• Les Yay: Hartley and Amy have a lot of moments which fans see as unintentionally romantic. The two become quite touchy-feely with each other, which even Amy's brother comments on, and Amy's dislike and mistrust of Declan can come off like she is jealous of Hartley being interested in him. In another instance, Amy even says that Hartley makes her life better and makes her a better person.
• Portmanteau Couple Name: Those who ship Amy/Hartley tend to call them "Hartmy", which is a combination of their two names.
• Shipping: Amy and Hartley (aka Hartmy) is easily the most popular ship in the fandom due to their chemistry. Most fanfiction and fanart for the show is dedicated to this pairing. The canonical Jarling (Jake/Starling) ship is also popular.
• Spiritual Successor:
  • The series has parallels to previous Disney sitcoms Lab Rats and Wizards of Waverly Place, both about quirky families who secretly have extraordinary powers and engage in Comedic Sociopathy even within their own family but ultimately love each other. In particular, Amy can be compared to Alex from Wizards, Jake to Justin (and Chase from Lab Rats), Colby to Max, and Hartley to Harper. Other than Vic and Donald from Lab Rats both being inventors, the parents don't map well, though.
  • It's also comparable to the Nickelodeon sitcom The Thundermans, but as an inversion: The Thundermans was about a family of superheroes where the oldest brother wants to be evil, and this show is about a family of supervillains where the oldest brother wants to be good. Both series are ensembles but the oldest/only daughter is at the center.